Communications Links

1. A method of transmitting time dependent information in a first format, the time dependent information being associated with associated serial information in a second format across a data network having a network protocol, the method comprising: using time stamps to capture the time-dependent information in the network protocol; converting the second format of the associated serial information to the network protocol; forming a message in the network protocol, the message including the time dependent information and the serial information in the network protocol; transmitting the message in the network protocol format across the network to a destination terminal; and at the destination terminal, extracting the time stamp information from the message, and using the time-stamp information to reconstitute the time-dependent information, and converting the format of the serial information from the network protocol to the second format.

2. A method of providing remote configuration access for a programming terminal via one or more data networks to one or more remote terminals; the programming terminal being adapted to program said one or more remote terminal via a public switched telephone network (PSTN) using an analog dial up modem; the remote terminals being designed to be remotely configured via the public switched telephone network; wherein a first remote interface means (RIM) is connected to one or more of the remote terminals; the first RIM being adapted to provide a bi-directional interface between a remote terminal and one of said one or more data networks; wherein a modem emulator function is provided to interface the programming terminal with said one of said one or more data networks; the modem emulator function including programming capabilities adapted for transmitting information via said one or more data networks; the method comprising: obtaining an address for the first RIM or a corresponding remote terminal; converting the programming terminal output signals to a message having a network format suitable for transmission via one or more data networks; establishing a data connection between the programming terminal and the first RIM via one or more of the data networks using the address of the RIM or corresponding remote terminal; establishing communication between the first RIM and the corresponding remote terminal; initiating a transmission of the message to the first RIM; in the first RIM, converting the network format of the message to a remote terminal format used in programming or configuring the corresponding remote terminal; transmitting the message in said remote terminal format to the corresponding remote terminal; wherein the programming terminal output signals include time-dependent information, the method further comprising: adding time stamps to at least the time-dependent information; converting the information and associated time-stamps to the network protocol; transmitting the information in network protocol format across the data network to a destination terminal; and using the time-stamps to reconstitute the time-dependent information.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the address of the RIM or remote terminal is stored in a RIM address list accessible via the data network.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the RIM address list is stored in the programming terminal.

5. A system for transmitting time dependent information and serial data across a data network, the time dependent information having a first format, the serial data having a second format, the system comprising: a data network having a network protocol; a modem emulator means adapted to convert the format of the serial data from the second format to the network protocol; the modem emulator means being adapted to capture time-dependent information in the network protocol; the modem emulator being connected to a first edge of the network; a remote network interface connected to a second edge of the network; a data conversion means connected to the remote network interface; the data conversion means being adapted to reconstitute the time-dependent information and the serial data.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the modem emulator captures the time dependent information in the form of time stamps.

7. A communications system including a programming terminal and one or more remote terminals for use with an existing alarm panel of a type which is adapted to use a telephone line as its primary communications path to transmit data, the communications system providing the existing alarm panel with the ability to transmit and receive signals via a path through a data network having a network protocol, the data including time dependent information in a first format and serial data in a second format, wherein the existing alarm panel includes a ring detection means adapted to detect a ring signal from the telephone intercept and to activate a voice frequency (vf) data modem associated with the existing alarm panel; the communications system including: a programming terminal associated with a modem emulator functionality, the programming terminal including programming software; the programming terminal being adapted to convert the format of the serial data and the format of the time dependent information to the network protocol; the programming software enabling the programming terminal to transmit serial data via the emulator and the network to a remote terminal; the remote terminal including: a network interface; a telephone intercept means adapted to interface with the existing alarm panel; a programmable data store; and a processor means adapted to enter and retrieve data from the store; and wherein the telephone intercept means is adapted to reconstitute the time dependent information for transmission to the existing alarm panel.

8. A communication system as claimed in claim 7 , including a management terminal, adapted to communicate via the data network.

9. A communication system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the management terminal contains a store of one or more sets of programming instructions, each set of programming instructions being adapted to perform a programming or configuration function at a remote terminal, the management terminal being responsive to a corresponding instruction from a programming terminal to transmit a selected one of the sets of programming instructions to a selected remote terminal.

10. A programming terminal adapted for use in a system as claimed in claim 8 , the programming terminal including modem emulation software.

11. A programming terminal for use in a system as claimed in claim 7 , including a store of one or more sets of programming instructions, each adapted to perform a programming or configuration function at a remote terminal, the programming terminal being adapted to initiate a selected one of the sets of programming instructions in response to a corresponding input instruction.

12. A customer terminal adapted for use in a system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the customer terminal includes VoIP functionality, the customer terminal being adapted to distinguish between alarm communications and VoIP communications from the remote terminal, and to direct alarm communications to the alarm panel and to transmit VoIP communications to a VoIP network.

13. A customer terminal as claimed in claim 12 , including a phone number recognition means adapted to recognize alarm communications.

14. A method of providing remote configuration access for a programming terminal via one or more data networks to one or more remote terminals, the programming terminal being adapted to program said one or more remote terminals via a public switched telephone network (PSTN) using an analog dial up modem, one or more of the remote terminals being designed to be remotely configured, via the PSTN, wherein a first remote interface means is connected to one or more of the remote terminals, the first remote interface means being adapted to provide a bi-directional interface between a remote terminal and one of said one or more data networks, wherein a modem emulator means is provided to interface the programming terminal with said one of said one or more data networks, the modem emulator means including programming capabilities adapted for transmitting information including time dependent information via said one or more data networks, the method comprising: providing the programming terminal with one or more sets of instructions and data; selecting one of the sets of instructions and data including associated time dependent information; converting the selected set of instructions and data and associated time dependent information to a format compatible with the said one of the one or more data networks, and transmitting the selected set of instructions and data and associated time dependent information to one or more remote terminals via said one or more data networks.